Turkey: PonteSud – News Desk
In a landmark moment for Turkish dance, 29 year-old Buse Babadağ has been appointed prima ballerina, the highest artistic rank, in the prestigious Ballet San Antonio, making her the first Turkish ballerina in U.S. history to receive the title.
Born in Istanbul, Babadağ’s journey from local dance studios to America’s professional stages is marked by discipline and cross-continental ambition.
After beginning ballet at age nine, initially at the insistence of a childhood friend, she was accepted into Istanbul University State Conservatory. There, her first encounter with mentor Christopher Paluch marked what she describes as a turning point in her life.
Babadağ’s formal training continued in Germany at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Ballett Akademie München, one of Europe’s top ballet academies.
What began as a spontaneous idea shared with a friend in a Munich garden, “I think we’re going to America,” her friend had said, soon became a life-changing decision. She sent out audition tapes to several U.S. ballet companies and received a response the very next day from Tulsa Ballet. “America was a dream, it became reality,” she said.
Since her move at 18, Babadağ has danced with several acclaimed companies across the U.S., including Dance Alive National Ballet in Florida, where she was sponsored for a green card, and Indianapolis Ballet, where she mastered the Balanchine technique and worked with renowned names like Victoria Simon and Diana White of the New York City Ballet.
In 2021, she joined Ballet San Antonio at the invitation of the celebrated French ballerina and the company’s artistic director, Sofiane Sylve, who had been impressed by Babadağ’s audition video. After four seasons with the company, she was promoted to prima ballerina.
“The promotion symbolized years of hard work, sacrifice and perseverance,” she told the Turkish daily Hürriyet. “I’m proud to be the first Turkish ballerina to acheive this rank in American ballet history.”
Babadağ now also teaches at Ballet San Antonio’s school and recently made her musical theater debut at Jet Girl in West Side Story. In 2023, her story was featured in Pointe Magazine, a leading publication in the global dance world.
Despite her success abroad, she still dreams of performing in Türkiye. “For 11 years, I’ve danced on American stages. Only my mother has seen me perform. My biggest wish is to dance in my homeland one day, even if just as a guest artist.”
Reflecting on the difference between Turkish and American ballet, Babadağ said that while Turkish dancers possess ideal physiques for ballet, the repertoire in Türkiye is often limited to classical works. In contrast, American companies provide a broader range of contemporary and neoclassical opportunities.
